THE MoD failed to tell Scottish ministers when a small leak was discovered in
2012 and Salmond has written to the Prime Minister to express his “deep dismay” about the affair.

ALEX Salmond has demanded an apology from David Cameron after the Ministry of Defence failed to tell Scottish
ministers about a nuclear leak at Dounreay.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond revealed on Thursday that nuclear submarine HMS Vanguard will have its reactor refuelled at a cost of £120 million as a precaution after the leak was found in a test reactor at the Caithness site.

The small leak was discovered in
2012 but the MoD did not tell Scottish ministers. They did inform the Scottish Environment Protection Agency but asked them to keep the issue “on a strict need to know basis”.

Salmond has written to the Prime Minister to express his “deep dismay” about the affair. He said the
Con-Dems had “completely disrespected” the Scottish Parliament over the leak.

The First Minister added: “We cannot tolerate this veil of Westminster secrecy being pulled over Scottish democracy.

“You
must now offer an immediate explanation of why your Government allowed this to happen, an apology for the disregard of established processes and a commitment that it will never happen again.”

Opposition to the siting of nuclear weapons in Scotland is a key plank of the SNP’s independence campaign.